" Prepare to leave." Sesshomaru called to Rin over his shoulder as he walked towards the snoring creature on the ground. As he walked by he gracefully kicked Jaken in the head while maintaining his well balanced steps. In fact, it appeared as if nothing had happened and no one would be the wiser, that is unless they heard the startled cry from the one who was kicked in the head.
" Ouch! Who did that! Come back here so I can…" Jaken quickly shut his mouth when Sesshomaru stopped abruptly and turned his head to glare evilly at Jaken for the disobedient comment. Jaken cringed in fear and assumed his all too natural state of begging. Sesshomaru ignored it and continued to walk on. Rin followed behind him shortly after she saddled up Ah-Un and hopped on his back. Jaken scrambled around the camp to gather his belongings and ran after them.
" The day is so beautiful!" Rin shouted in glee as they walked out into a clearing and the sunlight flowed over her. " Milord. May we stop in this field for a moment?"
Sesshomaru did not halt or turn as he spoke back to her. " There is no time for playful activities Rin." His voice was stern.
She pouted, but did not complain. She still remembered her place. So, she settled for looking up and observing the sky. There were several clouds, not a single one was dark. They were all white and puffy. " A wolf. A horse. A house. A sword." She was naming all the shapes the clouds were making. " A bird. A noodle!" She squeaked a laugh at the last one.
" Stop it." Sesshomaru commanded in annoyance.
She giggled at this. " Yes milord!" Then she started to hum once more. Quietly singing soft words.
" Silence." Sesshomaru voice was raised more than normal. This time, Rin was truly upset, until she saw him unsheathe his sword and take an attacking position.
Jaken quickly did the same as him, raising his staff, even though he did not know why they were becoming defensive. Rin was even more clueless as she looked all around them to try to find out what was going on. A rustle of leaves and a twig breaking drew her attention to the forest ahead of them. She clung tightly to the saddle she was on.
Sesshomaru observed the forest carefully, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air. Something was there, he knew it, but it seemed to be all over the place, yet it was only one being. It was annoying him that he could not discover the source, he did not like not knowing the position of the enemy. It was a great disadvantage to any fight. He concentrated more, yet still could not locate the exact source. He Ah-Un roar in alarm and he spun quickly on his heel. His eyes widened.
Rin was gone. He looked from side to side, in front and behind, but she was nowhere. That damned scent of the being was all over and covered up all other, so now he could not even determine where Rin was. He growled angrily. He was tricked, deceived, and humiliated that someone could do such to him. Then he caught it, her scent. He turned quickly to his side, and there she was.
She began to run to him. " Help me milord!" She screamed. Then she was gone again. Sesshomaru growled again and his eyebrows lowered. He could not figure out what was going on and it bothered him greatly. " Lord Sesshomaru!" She cried again and he turned in the direction, but she was not there. " Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru! Lord Sesshomaru!" Every time the cry came from a different place, and every time he looked she was not there.
A low laugh flowed through the air. It started out quiet then raised loudly in volume. Sesshomaru collected himself, returning to his emotionless state, stood straight, and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were blood red and filled with anger. " Show yourself you coward." His voice remained calm in complete contrast to his eyes. This only caused the laughter to become even louder.
" Well, well, well. Lord Sesshomaru I presume? I had believed the wench was lying when she spoke of her demon protector, yet, here you are. I guess she wasn't just an ignorant fool after all. Then again…"
" What do you want." Sesshomaru cut him off. He was in no mood for games.
The low voice chuckled. " It quite simple, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. Hand over your jewel shards and we'll hand over the girl."
It was Sesshomaru's turn to grin and chuckle. " If it is jewel shards you seek, then you are looking in the wrong place."
The voice lost all of it's humor. " Do not lie to me. A demon as powerful as yourself must have jewel shards."
Sesshomaru grunted in disgust. " My power does not rely on a simple jewel fragment. I have no need for such useless things."
There was a pause. " You lie!" It shouted. " Bring the shards to the place the scent leads to after the sun has set and the moon has risen, if you don't…" It's humor returned as it spoke again. " Then we kill the girl." It let loose a low and maddening laugh that faded slowly in the distance.
Sesshomaru remained in place, his eyes returning to normal. Jaken walked up beside him and looked angrily ahead into the forest. " What was that vile thing! How dare he speak to milord in such a disrespectful tone."
Sesshomaru looked ahead in the same direction. " That was the time demon Rin spoke of." He spoke with his normal tone again.
" But, you killed that demon milord!" Jaken shouted in shock and confusion.
' The demon before must have been just a mere guardian. When this demon was present, I sensed a great disturbance. Almost as if the flow of time itself were being interrupted.' He thought to himself, leaving Jaken still confused about the situation. Sesshomaru then started to walk into the forest, with Jaken and Ah-Un following. " Set up camp here." Sesshomaru commanded as soon as they entered the forest, but did not stop walking.
Jaken fought the urge to ask him where he was going, but he could easily guess, besides, he wouldn't have received an answer anyways.